Cloth weight

ABSTRACT

A cloth weight particularly intended for releasable attachment to table-cloth edges to retain the cloth in position. The cloth weight includes means arranged when under load to increase the friction between the table-cloth and gripping means to ensure securement of the weight to the cloth, said friction being easily interrupted at will to disengage the weight from the cloth.

United States Patent 1191 Hulthen June 17, 1975 CLOTH WEIGHT [75] Inventor: Martin Henry Hulthen, Helsingborg,

Sweden [73] Assignee: Ak tiebolaget Henry Hulthen,

Halsningborg, Sweden [22] Filed: Oct. 16, 1974 [211 Appl.No.i 515,215

52 U.S. c1 16/1; 24/244 [51] Int. Cl. A47g 1/10; E05b 1/00;EO5f l/OO; EOSf 7/00 [58] Field of Search 2/273; 160/349; l6/l, 1 C, l6/DlG. 3, DIG. 8; 24/253, 132, 244, 245, 255 R, 255 D, 255 TC [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,448,811

5/1923 Morrison 160/349 x 4/1946 DeLaurentis et a]. 24/244 x 10/1956 Foster 16/1 Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Newton, Hopkins & Ormsby [57] ABSTRACT A cloth weight particularly intended for releasable attachment to table-cloth edges to retain the cloth in position. The cloth weight includes means arranged when under load to increase the friction between the table-cloth and gripping means to ensure securement of the weight to the cloth, said friction being easily interrupted at will to disengage the weight from the cloth. 4

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CLOTH WEIGHT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention concerns a cloth weight, i.e., a device arranged to releasably grip the edge of that part of a cloth which hangs down from a table, in order to exert such a loading force on the table-cloth edge that during windy days the table-cloth will remain in position on the table in e.g. outdoor premises or gardens. A cloth weight for this purpose must be easily attachable to the cloth while at the same time, when under load, the weight must be able to remain suspended in the cloth edge without damaging the cloth proper. Furthermore, the cloth weight should have an attractive appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION When constructing the cloth weight in accordance with the present invention the above requirements have been fully considered. It is characteristic of the invention that the cloth weight consists of two semi-spherical bowl-like (hollow) members enclosing a ball-shaped weight and each provided with a pair of projecting arms between which a gap is arranged, one of said arms having pivotally mounted therein a gripping wheel ofa kind known per se, said gripping wheel having eccentrically positioned trunnions and projecting with a portion of its periphery into the gap between said arms. This wheel retains the cloth edge clamped against the opposite arm on the semi-sphere members and the stronger the stresses exerted on the cloth weight, the harder the gripping force.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further characteristics of the invention will appear from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein FIG. 1 is a partly cut side view of the cloth weight in accordance with the invention, its various parts being shown in non-assembled position,

FIG. 2 is a front view of the cloth weight in assembled position,

FIG. 3 is a side view of the assembled cloth weight,

FIG. 4 illustrates the cloth weight from above, and

FIG. 5 illustrates the cloth weight when attached to the edge of a part of a table-cloth hanging down from a table.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As illustrated in FIG. 1, the cloth weight consists of a ball 1 serving as a weight and preferably being of lead, two hollow semispherically shaped members 2 and 3 enclosing the ball and preferably consisting of plastics, and a clamping wheel 4 which likewise preferably is made of plastics. The semisphere members 2 and 3 are each one provided with a pair of projecting arm sections 5, 6 and 7, 8. When the cloth weight is assembled, arm sections 6 and 8 form an arm 9, whereas arm sections 5 and 7 together form a second arm 10. The arms 9 and 10 extend in parallel outwards from the central portion of the cloth weight, forming between them an upwardly open gap 11. The arm sections 6 and 8 are provided with one recess each, numbered 12 and 13, respectively, in which the clamping wheel 4 is received. The bottoms of the recesses 12 and 13 present two mounting openings 14 and 15 arranged in opposite relationship to receive two trunnions l6 and 17, respectively, provided on the clamping wheel 4. As clearly illustrated in FIG. 2 these trunnions are arranged eccentrically on the wheel 4. At its periphery, the clamping wheel 4 is formed with grooves 18. Petal-shaped projections 19 are formed at the periphery of one, 3, of the semisphere members.

When the cloth weight is assembled, the ball 1 is introduced into semisphere member 3 and the trunnion 17 formed on the clamping wheel 4 is inserted into mounting opening 15. Semisphere member 2 is thereafter pressed against semisphere member 3 in such a manner that dowels 20 formed on arm sections 5 and 6 engage in corresponding apertures 21 formed in the arm sections 7 and 8. Some adhesive may also be required to keep the semisphere members 2, 3 together. In the assembled position a portion of the periphery of the clamping wheel 4 engages in the gap 11.

As appears from FIG. 5, the cloth weight is easily applicable to the lower edge 22 of a table-cloth 24 hanging down from a table 23. All that needs to be done is to turn the wheel 4 counter-clockwise as indicated by arrow 25 in FIG. 5 until sufficient space is obtained between the clamping wheel 4 and the arm 10 for insertion into said space of the cloth edge 22. The clamping wheel 4 is thereafter turned in the opposite direction, its grooved portion clamping the cloth edge 22 against the arm 10. The stronger the pulling force exerted on the cloth 24, the more the clamping wheel 4 is turned clockwise as seen in FIG. 5 and the harder the clamping action as a result of the eccentric mounting of the wheel. Because of the grooves, also the friction between the wheel 4 and the arm 10 is increased.

To release the cloth weight the clamping wheel 4 is simply turned in the direction indicated by arrow 25 of FIG. 5, whereby the clamping action will cease.

The embodiment as shown and described is to be regarded as an example only and the cloth weight may be constructively altered in a variety of ways within the scope of the appended claims. The material from which the cloth weight is manufactured is not crucial to the invention. The semisphere members 2, 3 may be provided with some suitable mechanical snap joint.

What I claim is:

1. An improved cloth weight for attachment to the edge of that part of a cloth that hangs down from the table, the improvement comprising two hollow semispherical members, a ball-shaped weight, said two semisphere members enclosing said weight, a pair of projecting arms on each semisphere member, a gap formed between said arms, a clamping wheel rotationally mounted in one of said arms, trunnions arranged in eccentric relationship on said wheel, a portion of the periphery of said clamping wheel extending into said space between said arms.

2. An improved cloth weight as claimed in claim 1, comprising two parallel arm sections projecting from each semisphere member so as to form the respective one of said arms.

3. An improved cloth weight as claimed in claim 2, comprising mounting apertures arranged in opposite relationship in said arm sections of one of said arms, the trunnions of said clamping wheel received in said mounting apertures.

4. An improved cloth weight as claimed in claim 1, comprising grooves formed at the periphery of said 

1. An improved cloth weight for attachment to the edge of that part of a cloth that hangs down from the table, the improvement comprising two hollow semispherical members, a ball-shaped weight, said two semisphere members enclosing said weight, a pair of projecting arms on each semisphere member, a gap formed between said arms, a clamping wheel rotationally mounted in one of said arms, trunnions arranged in eccentric relationship on said wheel, a portion of the periphery of said clamping wheel extending into said space between said arms.
 2. An improved cloth weight as claimed in claim 1, comprising two parallel arm sections projecting from each semisphere member so as to form the respective one of said arms.
 3. An improved cloth weight as claimed in claim 2, comprising mounting apertures arranged in opposite relationship in said arm sections of one of said arms, the trunnions of said clamping wheel received in said mounting apertures.
 4. An improved cloth weight as claimed in claim 1, comprising grooves formed at the periphery of said clamping wheel. 